Google Assistant is coming to the iPhone. Here's how to use it

Google Assistant will soon be available on all smartphones running Android Nougat and Marshmallow as well as the iPhone.

LG was one of the first to reveal it would feature the Assistant on its new device, the LG G6 at Mobile World Congress, following the release of the AI on Android Wear 2.0. The iPhone announcement was made at Google's annual I/O conference. It will be available to iOS users via an app and the SDK will see the software being available for more devices in the future.

The human (and Pixar characters) inside Google's Assistant

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It is like Siri, but much smarter because it uses a so-called smart reply feature to offer what Google calls "appropriate, contextually aware smart suggestions for quick replies" and it learns how you prefer to reply, in order to tailor the responses to make them more personal. This includes adding more options in the predictive text replies, or making more of spoken replies.

How to get started with Google Assistant

WIRED

When you first set up your phone, you will be prompted to enable Google Assistant and it will guide you through registering your voice for the "OK Google" command. If you don't want to set this up at the start, the first time you try to activate Google Assistant you will be guided through the same setup process.

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Alternatively, once it has been set up, you can retrain the device to learn your voice by going to the Google app, Settings, Voice and "OK Google" detection.

To access Google Assistant on the Pixel and Pixel XL, long Press on Home Button, so that a row of coloured dots appear, or say "OK Google." You can also use voice commands to access the AI on LG's latest range of smartwatches running Android Wear 2.0. Google Assistant is due to roll out to more smartwatches in the coming months.

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When you open the Assistant, it will ask: "What can I help you with?" and it will show you a selection of options. Google Assistant uses a chat screen to encourage you to have a conversation with it. Example questions given by Google include: “How did the Olympics Start?” and ”what is your superpower?”

A number of answers, and follow-up questions, will appear in small bubbles below the initial answer. You can select an automated option – which will gradually become smarter and recognise how you prefer to respond – or you can say "OK Google" to enable voice controls.

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Personalised Google Assistant replies

The Assistant is tailored to you, so it connects with your apps and tracks your location to help you get personalised advice.

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For example, you can say: “Tell me about my day,” “show me photos of London”, “what is my next flight” or “when is my next appointment?” The answer to the flight question only works if you have an upcoming reservation in your Gmail account, though.

A recent summer-themed update added new commands. You can now ask it when festivals are, use it to find cocktail recipes, order charcoal for the BBQ and track your holiday flights.

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It should also be noted that Google requires a high level of access to your apps and accounts in order to serve these personalised responses. This has drawn criticism from privacy groups and access can be managed or revoked in Settings.

Once a sushi restaurant has been found, you can ask Google Assistant follow-up questions such as: “Is Yoobi still open?” Followed by: “How long will it take to walk there from here?”

From there, Google Assistant can recognise context and will know that by “there,” you meant “Yoobi”,

Continuing with Google's example, you can say: “Text Victoria, ‘Have you eaten dinner yet?’” Once at the restaurant, you can also ask Google Assistant to translate the menu or ask specific questions about the dishes.

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A pocket PA

Beyond restaurant recommendations and event or day planning, Google Assistant can act like a digital PA. This is where Google Assistant is more like Siri and Cortana. You can ask it to remind you to pick up milk, set an alarm, send a text or open an app.

Playing games with Google Assistant

Google Assistant it not just for serious, everyday tasks. It comes with built-in games and helps you search the web.

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Google also said there are numerous Easter Eggs, similar to those found on the search engine, hidden within the Assistant. For example, try asking the Assistant what noise animals make.

Other examples use an integration with Google-owned YouTube to show videos.

During the launch event, Google demonstrated an integration with Open Table but this is a US-only feature at the moment.

Don't have a Pixel? How to get Google Assistant on any Nougat phone

Aside from Allo, Google has limited Google Assistant to Pixel and Pixel XL handsets. But there is a workaround. Anyone running a device on Android 7 or higher, and with the Google app version 6.5.35.21 installed, can force the software onto their device.

It should be noted that this requires a certain level of technical knowledge and could damage your phone or void your warranty so approach with caution. According to XDA forum member, brianelv, there are two ways to do this.

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What's coming next?

The Google Assistant will surely be regularly updated by Google's team of coders and a look inside the latest beta app hints at what may be in the pipeline. A tear-down of the Google app by XDA Developers hints that the assistant in Google Home may soon allow payments.

"The string “you’ll soon be able to pay for things” when you use Google Assistant indicates the service is not yet live (as none of us using Assistant have found evidence of the service being live), but it soon will be," the group explained in a blog post. The assistant would potentially let you pay for items through connected products. However the limited evidence in the beta doesn't mean the rollout will definitely happen.